Vehicle-wheel.



J. A. MAY. VEHICLE WHEEL. APPLIoATzoN FILED oor. 1a, 191s..

1,119,092. l 'Patnteane.1,1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEFIoE.

JULIUS A. MAY, OF GENOA, ILLINOIS.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULiUs A. MAY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Genoa, county of Dekalb and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements I in Vehicle- Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in vehicle wheels and has for 1ts object the production of a wheel designed for use especially upon agricultural machinery, or lnachinery which is required to move over soft ground.

A further object is the production of a vehicle wheel which will be durable and economical in construction, which, when in use will present a maximum purchasing surface for contact with the ground in order to prevent sinking intothe ground and skidding or slipping thereon. v

A still further object is the production of a vehicle wheel as mentioned which will be of durable and economical construction, and efficient in use.

Other .objects will appear hereinafter.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which, y

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle wheel embodying my invention, a portion thereof being broken away and`,sl1o\vn in section, and Fig. Q- is a sectional front eleration of the wheel, the upper portion thereof heilig shown in central section.

I The preferred form of` construction as illustrated in the drawing comprises a hub 1 kfrom which radiates spokes 2, the inner ends of said spokes being rigidly secured to said hub. Arranged at the outer ends of said spokes are three spaced annular members 3, l and 5 which are rigidly connected with the outer ends of said spokes by means of rivets 6. rIhe outer ends of said 'spokes are preferably bifurcated, iis-shown in order to adapt the same to hold said annular members in spaced relation, as clearly shown in .Fig 2. Arranged at the periphery of the wheel frame thus lformed is a plurality of tread plates 7 arranged as shown in two rows or lines extending about the.' wheel.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

Application 'led October 13, 1913. Serial No. 794,926.

Said ,tread plates are locked to the annular members 3, 4 and 5 by means of transversely extending, retainer pins 8 which pass through elongated or substantially crescent formed slots 9' provided in lugs 10 which are formed at the inner sides of said projecting plates and which 'project into the annular spaces formed between the-members 3, el and 5. Helical tension springs 11 connected at their inner ends with the hub 1 peripheries of annular members 3, gland -At the inner or under sides of Saiijreadi plates are provided transversely extendigl pins 12 which engage notches\13 rovided in said annular members, thisconsruction evidently.preventing creeping of saidvplates relative to said annular members'.

With the construction set forth as `tl`i\e\l wheel travels along the ground the tread plates at the under side thereof willack to horizontal position in order to effectlially engage the ground and present a'maximum purchasing surface. The joints between-the tread plates in the two rows thereof are ar ranged in staggered relation, as shown, so that three of said.v tread plates will always be in contact with the ground, as clearly, shown in Fig. 1. In rocking to horizontal position as said tread plates approach the ground and recede from the same, said plates rock incontact with the peripheries of frame members 3, 4- and 5. This being so it is necessary that slight radial movement be permitted said plates. Such movement is permitted b v reason of the elongated or crescent form ofthe slots 9 which permit of said plates so rocking or moving radially that the under sides thereof will constantly contact with the peripheries of frame members 3, 4 and 5, thereby placing the greatest strain or burden upon said annular meinbers which are so securely braced and connected with the spokes of the wheel as to be best adapted-to bear the same. The springs 1l, in this rocking of the tread plates of course yield so as to permit of the outward movement thereof serving however, nor.- mally to hold said plates in their central positions as shown.

A wheel of the construction set forth will be found of great advantage for agricultural machinery or other vehicles which are required to travel over soft ground since, by reason of the maximum ground engaging or purchasing surface which is presented by a wheel of this construction, the liability of sinking into the ground or of skiddingor slipping is reduced to a minimum. The wheel is simple and economical in construction and will be found durable and 'espe'- cially adapted to perform the functions which the same is designed to perform.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is caf pable of variation and modification .without ldeparting from the spirit of the invention. (I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but

desire to avail myself of such variations and v modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims! i Having described my linvcaition what I claim as new and desiregtasecure by Letters Patent is: ,Q c

l. ln combination, avehicle wheel having a rim made up of spaced annular members, there being registering peripheral recesses in said members; tread plates on the periphery of said rim; pins carried by said tread plates and each of said pins resting in a pair of said registering recesses, and radially disposed tension springs, each having one end connected with the hub of the wheel and its other end connected with one of said tread plates resilieiitly maintaining the pins of the latter in said recesses, as described. l 2. In combination, a vehicle wheel having a rim made up of spaced annular members, there being registering peripheral recesses in said members; tread plates on the periph ery of said rim; pinscarried by said tread plates and each of said pins resting in a pair of said registering recesses; lugs on said tread plates extending between members of said rim, each lug'having an elongated pei'- foi-ation therethrough; pins through each perforation and two of said annular menibers; and a tension spring resiliently maintaining said first mentioned pins in their rcspective recesses, substantially as described.

substantiallyI 3. In combination, a vehicle wheel havinga rim made up ofspaced annular members, there being registering peripheral recesses in said members; tread plates on the periph ery of said rim; pins carried by said tread plates and each of said pins resting in a pair of said registering recesses; a lug on each of said tread plates extending between members of said rim, each lug having a crescent formed perforation therethrough, the outer curved side of eaclr` perforation being tof vward the periphery of said rim ;A a pin through the perforations. of eac'h lugl andV two members of said rim permitting of lim;

ited movement -to said tread vplate on .the latter; and means resiliently maintaining said first mentioned pins in their respective recesses and said last mentioned pins at the central portions of their respective crescent formed perforations, substantially as "i described.

4. In combination, a vehicle wheel having a rim made up of three spaced annular meinbers of equal diameters, there being spaced registering recesses in the peripheries of the intermediate and each outside annular meniber;`tread plates on the periphery of said rim; a lug on each plate extending between two of said annularmembers, there being registering crescent formed iecessesin the lug on each plate; a pin extending laterally through the lug on each plate and disposed in a pair of said registering recesses; a -pin through two of said annular members and P. J. LAPHAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

